Curls
by GayerThanATreeFullOfMonkeys
Summary: Tony wakes up seeing things in a whole new way. And who knew that Loki had curly hair? Tony/Loki, established relationship, series of one-shots with a few song-fics thrown in there.
1. Chapter 1

So this is NOT part of the _Save me_ verse, just a little something to tide my readers over until I can finally update my other story.

Enjoy.

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><p>So who knew that Loki had curly hair?<p>

Last night his black locks had been deadly straight and silky when Tony had run his fingers through it but now there were adorable curls spread across the white pillow. Tony smiled and rose up on his elbows, looking at Loki through soft, unfocused eyes. It was amazing that he could remember tiny details like _that_ after such a crazy night. But Loki had shown up while Tony was alone at the Avenger's mansion and there had been wine and music and self depreciating humor and the night had gone downhill from there.

It had happened before, Loki showing up to pull Tony away from his projects and duties with smoldering eyes and double edged words that somehow drew him in. But Tony had always felt like Loki had just used him as something to rub in Thor's face and to freak out Fury. Last night had been different though, a different Loki had shown up, smirking less than usual and with sad eyes. Tony had asked him a few times if anything was wrong but Loki had brushed off his concern.

So now here he was, covers twisted around him, expression thoughtful as he watched the trickster god. This was the first time that Loki had stayed the whole night, hell most of the time Loki left before Tony even fell asleep. But something more was different, something other than Loki sleeping over and his miraculously curly hair.

The smaller man stirred in his sleep as if he sensed Tony's gaze (damn he probably could) and opened his bright eyes, gifting Tony with a brief flash of green before his eyelids dropped low, black eyelashes skimming his cheeks. "Go back to sleep Tony, it's too early." He moaned, reaching out blindly to pull the genius back down beside him.

Tony smiled and put a hand on Loki's pale cheek "I'm already awake though." he whined, leaning forward to peck Loki softly. The god grinned reluctantly and opened his eyes.

"Oh fine, I'm up." Loki smirked and captured Tony's mouth, sealing his lips around Tony's top lip.

Tony groaned when Loki pulled back and rolled out of bed. "You're a little tease." He muttered, watching the smaller man as he gathered the white sheet up around him and stood up, picking up his clothes from where they were scattered around the room.

"And _you're_ ridiculous." Loki shot back, holding up his shoe and raising an eyebrow at the Avenger. "Why was my shoe on top of your dresser? Were you really that caught up in the throes of passion?"

"If I recall correctly you were just as caught up, if not more so." Tony replied, sitting up and stretching his arms high above his head. "Look, I even have bruises to prove it." He showed off the dark splotches that dotted his neck and smirked at the blush that colored Loki's cheeks. Though Loki tried to hide it by turning his back to pull on his jeans and sweater (Like insanely tight jeans and sweater, how are you even comfortable right now Loki).

"It's not my fault that you bruise so easy, humans are insanely delicate." Loki's voice took on that superior tone that Tony loved and hated.

"Come here and I'll show you how delicate I am." Tony said in a husky voice, he noticed his phone blinking on the bedside table. Pepper was probably calling to see where he was, she would probably realize when he didn't call her back. Only Loki could distract him from real life so much.

The paler man grinned a bit manically and stepped lightly towards him. Tony reached a hand up and laced his fingers through those black curls, pulling him down and kissing him.

"I hadn't realized that you were this…..eager in the morning." Loki snickered into his mouth "I ought to stay over more often."

Tony laughed sharply and tugged Loki down, making the god fall into his lap, long legs getting tangled around Tony's waist. "I'm always eager when it comes to you."

"Aw, sentimental Tony, how quaint." The black haired man twined his arms around the Avenger's neck and rolled his hips, trying to get comfortable.

"Why _did_ you stay all night?" Tony asked, trying desperately to keep his mind on the here and now. It was pretty difficult though when Loki's sharp hipbones were just barely touching his and Loki's sweater was riding up his flat stomach.

Loki immediately glanced away from him, his eyes narrowing and Tony could practically _see_ the walls that were popping up all around him. "No reason, I was tired…..or maybe I want to accidentally run into my darling brother on the way out and make a few snarky comments about your bed or something."

Well that actually sounded like something that Loki would stay over to do….but Tony didn't buy it. "As amusing as that sounds I feel like….maybe….we're kind of becoming a couple?" he could feel himself blushing but Tony didn't care anymore, all he cared about was hearing Loki's response. In the past he never would have dared to say something like that. He probably would have been tossed into a wall or had his hair all fall out or something equally horrific. But he and Loki had known each other for a while now. Sure it had just started out with some very inappropriate flirting on the battlefield but then Loki had started invading Tony's lab, and bedroom, and laundry room, and bathroom, and kitchen…and after all of _that_ they had actually started to respect each other and become friends. They had gone about it rather oddly, but they were at least sort of like a couple now weren't they?

"Tony…we've gone over this before….your mortal. Any attachment will end badly for you." Loki's voice sounded detached but Tony could hear the tiny quiver of emotion in it.

"It would end badly for you too hun. Don't deny it, you like me just as much as I like you."

"That doesn't mean we should be….what you think we are. It wouldn't be smart." Loki tried to scoot off Tony's lap but the Avenger was holding him tightly and Loki didn't try very hard.

"For two geniuses Loki we've never been very smart." Tony kissed him softly on the corner of the mouth and Loki sighed, the tension leaving him, his eyes fluttering closed.

"You're insane." Loki murmured in a sleepy voice, letting himself fall against Tony like a cat, all the resistance leaving him.

"You love it."

"I do."

"By the way…." Tony whispered his voice thoughtful as he ran a loving hand through _his_ trickster god's hair.

"Hmm?" Loki replied, opening his eyes and leaning his head into Tony's touch.

"I like the curls."

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><p>Just realized how obsessed I am with the idea of Loki with curly hair. In everything I'm writing I keep making Tony compliment his hair, what the hell.<p>

I hope you all liked it, this was super quick and probably not at all god but I hope that it was somewhat entertaining!

REVIEWREVIEWREVIEW.

PLEASE.


	2. Chapter 2

So this was only going to be a oneshot but my readers have been so cool and patient with me that I've decided to make into a series of oneshots. Which basically means that whenever i'm feeling guilty about not updating my main story quick enough i'll add onto this.

I hope you all like it.

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><p>"Come on Tony do you really not know?" Steve was saying as he followed Tony up to his room.<p>

The genius turned to him and shot him a glare. "Your faith in me is staggering Captain. Like I said in the meeting I don't know why Loki hasn't attacked us lately. And I really wish that you all would trust me."

Steve looked hurt, his blue eyes softened. "We trust you Tony, but come on its _Loki, _he's not exactly predictable and as of right now you're the closest one to him."

Tony sighed and leaned against his closed bedroom door, running a quick hand through his mussed dark hair. "Listen, he doesn't tell me anything about his plans. And I'm going to keep it that way; if I try to talk to him about anything like that he gets mad and runs off, this way at least he stays with me and I can sort of watch over him."

The Captain started to smile at Tony's words "You actually like him don't you? Two self-absorbed, volatile geniuses, truly frightening, I don't know if we'll be able to handle it."

Tony was opening his mouth to reply when the door opened behind him and he almost fell over. Luckily a slender and surprisingly strong arm was wrapped around his waist and kept him balanced. He glanced behind him and with a jolt saw Loki standing there; he was smirking at Steve over Tony's shoulder

"So glad you approve Captain, wherever would we be without your well wishes?" Loki drawled, looking very pleased by the reaction his surprise appearance had received.

Steve laughed good naturedly and glanced at Tony's shell shocked expression. "I guess I'll leave you to it then, though you might want to get in there before Thor shows up and makes a scene." He nodded at the bedroom and Loki snickered and tugged on Tony's arm.

"Quite a good idea Captain, Tony I like him." He smiled at Steve "I like you."

"I like you too, you've distracted Tony from starting fights, the mansion has been a much quieter place since you've been showing up."

Loki laughed and rested his head on Tony's shoulder. "That's the nicest, most straight forward thing anyone's said to me in a while."

"That's depressing." Tony and Steve said at the same time.

"Is it?" Loki had a shit eating grin plastered on his face that did things to Tony's insides as he pulled the Avenger inside the bedroom, kicking the door shut with his booted foot. "Thanks for bringing him Steve dear!" He shouted to the closed door, Tony could hear Steve's answering snort of laughter but he didn't pay attention. Loki had stepped away from him and gone to go sit on his bed, the laptop was open on it and Loki had his history pulled up.

"Any reason for this?" Tony asked, sitting down behind him and pulling the smaller man towards him, wrapping his arms around Loki's slim waist and toying with the thin material of his tee shirt. "I don't think I have anything _too_ bad on there."

"Leave my shirt alone Tony." Loki said bluntly turning to face him, he was sitting between Tony's legs and he put a hand on each of Tony's thighs, leaning close to him with a serious look on his face. The younger man wondered if that was a trait of Norse gods to have no concept of personal space, it did seem to be a common reaction of the two that he knew. Not that he minded if Loki wanted to get all up in his space but it really could be distracting.

"What's wrong?" He asked, closing the space between them and kissing the trickster god on the forehead, gently, carefully. This vulnerability was a side that he rarely saw of Loki, he had to tread lightly to make sure that he didn't scare him off.

"You were looking me up." Loki said softly, glancing over his shoulder at the computer screen. "You looked up the Norse _myths_." Tony glanced at the screen with him and saw with a dull sort of twinge of surprise that Loki was right, he had spent one sleepless night a few weeks ago searching for everything that had ever been written or said about Loki.

"I did." Was all he said in reply, he put a hand to Loki's cheek and rubbed his thumb in a circle on the soft, flawlessly creamy skin.

"And? What did you think?" Loki looks anxious and Tony sighs and scoots back from him, leaning around him to grab the laptop and snap it closed.

"Are the stories true, all of those things that they did to you? The sewing of the mouth shut, your children?" He asks quietly, taking the paler man's hands and interlacing their fingers.

"Completely." Loki says, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Well I think I get your distrust of your family then." Tony said with a completely straight face. When Loki started to giggle he did as well, their laughter turning into full out guffaws.

"Yes I am pretty justified aren't I." The god says, wiping a tear of mirth from the corner of his eye.

"Most defiantly." Tony says hugging him and kissing his cheek.

Loki turns his face towards Tony and catches at his lips, kissing him almost frantically. Clambering onto his lap and wrapping his legs around his waist, Tony put his hands on his waist and pulls him close. They part for a second, panting into each other's mouths, eyes locked on one another.

"You've rarely come over in the day." Tony observes "Why now?"

"I was lonely I suppose." Loki whispers, running a hand through his hair.

"_You _missed me." Tony smirks "I mean it has been what, a week since you saw me right? However have you survived?"

"I have other things to keep me occupied." Loki says mysteriously, he leans back towards Tony to kiss him again but the Avenger shakes his head.

"What type of things Loki? You never do tell me what you do when you're gone."

Loki's expression sours and he drops his hands from Tony's hair, the room is suddenly cold when before it had been a comfortable heat. "I thought that you didn't like to ask me about these type of things. Isn't that what you told Steve? I may run off, and you won't be able to watch over me." He quotes bitterly.

"In the meeting Fury was talking about Doom being silent, just like how you have been lately. No attacks, no threats, no blowing up restaurants because of their crappy service, nothing from either of you. Are you two working together again?" Tony asks in a harsh voice, he can't stand the thought of Loki, _his_ Loki, working with someone like that. He doesn't trust him, Loki is to gorgeous and insane and intelligent, Doom would certainly exploit that.

"So what if I am?" Loki asks defensive. "Don't worry, we're not going to take over the world or anything, I wouldn't do that to you again. But I am a god of mischief Tony; I have to have an outlet."

"And Doom is your outlet then?" Tony pushes the smaller man off him none to gently and gets up to walk across the room.

"Hold on" Loki sits on the edge of the bed, leaning towards him. His black hair is frizzy around his pale face and his eyes are shimmering out from under those long lashes, Tony can scarcely stand to look at him, this man who should be his enemy that he's been drawn to since the first time he saw him. This god, who can seem like such a child sometimes, when he's tired and starts to talk about his childhood and the father that he just wanted to love him. This perfect, terrible thing that's breaking his heart and mending it again with every word he utters. "Are you telling me you're _jealous_?"

"Well why won't you tell me? What are you doing when you're not with me Loki, or maybe who are you doing?"

Loki laughs, sharp and harsh "Oh fuck me, are we really going there Tony?"

"That's not an answer."

"God damn, you're ridiculous. No I'm not sleeping with Victor in my off time." Loki stood up and walked away from Tony, his gaze dancing away from what was going on. He kept glancing around as if he would rather be anywhere but here and Tony was forcibly reminded of the fact that he was dealing with a god here, a man who was more than a man. No matter how much Loki cried over his daddy issues he wasn't a normal guy, he was the god of lies, and could Tony really, truly trust him?

"But you have before right?" Tony just couldn't let it drop, the idea of it…..his Loki, his trickster god, being touched by Doom….it was enough to make him sick.

"Fine, yes, yes we worked together for years, of course we slept together a few times. What did you expect Tony?"

He hears those words like a brick being thrown at his face, it rams into him like a thousand pounds. He gapes at Loki as his breath leaves him with a loud whoosh. "What did I expect? Do you hear yourself sometimes?" His voice rises in pitch as he speaks and he cuts himself off to avoid further embarrassment.

Loki's expression softened and he finally met Tony's gaze as if now that the younger man had lost some of his strength he could finally look at him. "I'm sorry Tony; this is what you need to understand. I'm not some human who can remain committed to one person for my whole life. I just can't do that, believe me I've tried, something terrible will happen to the one I love and then I will _always_ have to move on."

"But you do love them." The avenger says softly

"Of course I do." Loki walks over to Tony and reaches his hands out to touch their fingers together, that single, gentle contact makes Tony's heart contract tightly. "Those ones that can deal with me for longer than a night I can't help but love."

"Victor dealt with you for longer than a night."

"Oh stop acting like your mad darling." Loki kissed him softly, drawing Tony down to his height. "And Victor didn't _deal_ with me the way you do. That was just sex Tony, this…..is intimacy."

Tony lets the god pull him down to the floor and kiss him all over; he slips his fingers through Loki's belt loops and tugs him tight against him.

"So this is what people mean when they talk about intimacy." Tony gasps "I had always wondered."

"Most men do" Loki smirks "you really only understand it as a woman."

"So that story is true too?"

"Hm, yes."

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><p>Maybe I should re-name this story adventures in Tony's bedroom or something yes?<p>

ReviewReviewReview!


	3. Chapter 3

Song Fic to Arms by Christina Perri.

Hope you all like it!

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><p><em>I never thought that you would be the one to hold my heart<em>

Loki is watching him from across the room. Tony is standing there at the party surrounded by gorgeous people laughing and fawning over him, men and women draping themselves over him and gazing at him with bedroom eyes. Whoever would have thought that Loki would fall for someone like _this_?

_But you came around and you knocked me off the ground from the start_

But his life had never been ordinary and neither had Tony's so maybe, just maybe they were perfect for each other. Loki smirked at the song that played over the speakers, what was it about the music of humans and its ability to know exactly what he was feeling at that moment? Tony was edging away from a young women as she tried to pull him out onto the dance floor, he looked uncomfortable and he kept glancing around, looking for Loki no doubt, he had said that he would be here. A faint smile curled Loki's lips at the tense look on the Avenger's face as he tried to get away from his fan club, poor man, always being forced to go to all of these company parties.

_You put your arms around me  
>And I believe that it's easier for you to let me go<em>

Things_ would _be easier if Loki turned around right now and left, if he stopped all of this and left this instant. He had a whole world, a universe just waiting to be ruled; if he put his mind to it all of his dreams could come true. But did he even want that anymore? Loki chewed on his bottom lip and adjusted his suit nervously, no one could see him, at the moment he was blending in with the rest of the party, no one spared him a second glance, he didn't want anyone to see him and tell Tony that he had been here if he was going to leave. And he was seriously considering it.

_You put your arms around me and I'm home_

But Tony was still pulling away from all of those easy humans, bodies grabbing at him and whispering things that were making him blush. He was obviously trying to tell them that he was here with someone but no one seemed to believe him. Loki grinned and stepped out of the shadows. People fell silent as he walked by. Most people had heard the rumors about him and Tony but that didn't mean anyone liked it. He did notice a few 20 something girls dressed in skimpy black dresses that were giggling at him out from behind their long hair. He threw them a smirk, making them blush, so he did have _some_ fans, that was nice to know. He directed his gaze back at Tony, he was still surrounded by people but they parted like the red sea for Loki.

How many times will you let me change my mind and turn around?

Tony hadn't seen him yet but he was turning around and Loki still had a split second left before their eyes would lock, he could disappear, with the blink of an eye he could be gone and Tony would be left staring at an empty space. He had walked out on him before, it wouldn't be anything new. But did he really want to go through this same cycle over and over?

_I can't decide if I'll let you save my life or if I'll drown_

Couldn't he just allow himself some small happiness? Couldn't he let himself go for once, let himself be free? Sure it was hard, maybe it always would be after a life like his, but really he deserved it.

But that didn't mean that it wasn't terrifying.

I hope that you see right through my walls

Tony saw him and smiled, the corners of his mouth turning up and lighting up his face. Loki smiled back shyly, squirming in his tight, designer suit that the sales girl at Saks had insisted he buy. Somehow the distance had closed between them and Tony had taken his hand and leaned close to peck him on the lips.

"I'm glad you came." He whispers in Loki's ear, staying quiet so that the obviously eavesdropping onlookers couldn't hear.

"I almost didn't." Loki replies, clutching his hand tight. It was kind of terrifying being here with Tony, being open about their mutual affection. Being open about a physical relationship was easy, emotional…..well, that was something else entirely.

_I hope that you catch me 'cause I'm already falling  
>I'll never let a love get so close<br>You put your arms around me and I'm home_

People were whispering and glancing over, judgment in their eyes. Tony smiled at the apprehension in Loki's expression and snaked an arm around his waist as he led him over to the cluster of people that had all been competing to get him in bed only a couple minutes ago. They all stopped talking as the couple approached and Loki cut his eyes at the lot of them, skanks.

"This is Loki" Tony said, his smile and voice easy and carefree, as if he wasn't introducing a super-villain as his boyfriend.

"Hello" the group all said in unison, looking at Loki dejected. The god smirked and leaned even more so into Tony, wrapping his long fingers around his belt loop, demonstrating his possession.

"I'm bored darling….come dance?" Loki drawled, barely sparing the lesser beings a glance, he brushed back a wayward lock of dark hair from Tony's eyes and smiled sweetly up at him.

"Of course babe." The Avenger replied, knowing all too well what Loki's game was. If they had one thing in common it was how much they _loved_ messing with people.

The world is coming down on me and I can't find a reason to be loved  
>I never wanna leave you but I can't make you bleed if I'm alone<p>

Loki wished that he knew what it was that made Tony look at him like this. He wished that he understood how this perfect, flawed, oh so human man could love someone like him. And most of all he wished that things weren't so complex. Being with Tony may feel fantastic right now, but eventually it would end, Tony would grow old and Loki would have to leave. He would leave and have to watch from far away, watch as someone he loved slowly turned to dust, as the genius light left his eyes and his smile became less manic and wide. It had happened so many times, he would get in to deep, fall to hard, and then a piece of him would die as his lover did.

_You put your arms around me  
>And I believe that it's easier for you to let me go...<em>

Tony swung him out onto the dance floor and grinned. "You look amazing by the way." The god smirked and wound his arms around his neck.

"Good job pointing out the obvious Mr. Stark."

"Egotistical ass" Tony laughed, his eyes twinkling.

"You love that about me." Loki said quietly in his ear, making the human shiver. Yes it would make things ultimately easier in the long run for him to leave but that didn't mean he was going to. He really _was_ egotistical and he cared too much about himself to leave Tony, it felt so good to be with him, and Loki always had loved his immediate pleasures.

_I hope that you see right through my walls  
>I hope that you catch me, 'cause I'm already falling<br>I'll never let a love get so close  
>You put your arms around me and I'm home<em>

"Honey I love everything about you." the Avenger murmured, as he rested his forehead against Loki's, he was tired. Poor man, it wasn't easy being a genius, Loki knew that all too well. Loki stopped dancing and stepped back him, taking his hand and pulling him away from the crowed dance floor.

"Let's go home" He whispered, putting an arm through the crook in Tony's arm and leading him out of the room. People were still watching and glaring them down but Loki ignored them, what was the point of wasting energy and emotion on such pointless creatures? There were always going to be those who hated them, that was something else that Loki knew all too well.

I tried my best to never let you in to see the truth

"Is everything alright?" Tony asked as they tumbled into a cab that had been parked outside of the party.

"Fine" Loki replied, gazing out the window and away from Tony's to keen eyes.

"What's wrong? Did I do something?" he asked, voice so anxious, always so keen to believe that he was the one at fault.

_And I've never opened up  
>I've never truly loved 'til you put your arms around me<br>And I believe that it's easier for you to let me go_

"Of course not, you've been perfect, you're always perfect." He said snidely, tone softening as he saw the hurt look on Tony's face. "I just really love you ok."

_I hope that you see right through my walls_  
><em>I hope that you catch me, 'cause I'm already falling<em>  
><em>I'll never let a love get so close<em>  
><em>You put your arms around me and I'm home<em>

Tony laughed and hugged Loki, he pushed the god's slick, black hair back off his face and their eyes met.

"I love you too. So much." Loki reached out, almost blindly for him and their lips ran into each other clumsily, surprising them both with the sloppiness of the kiss. The two geniuses drew back from each other and laughed in unison then they fell back against the car seat, curled up next to each other, breathless and happy as the taxi sped towards home.

_You put your arms around me and I'm home_


	4. Chapter 4

__Thank you all so much for all the attention you've given this little story! It's really great and I love you all. I've got about 4 more chapters to this almost done waiting in my computer so stay tuned. And also check out some of my other stories!

Song-fic to Stay with me tonight by Emma Wallace. Listen to the song while you're reading, it's fantastic.

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><p><em>The streetlamps try to do their best<em>

_But the light's faded in the west_

_It's like a night straight out of Poe_

This was odd. This was unusual for them both but it had to have happened at some point Loki supposed. Tony was at his place. They glanced at each other awkwardly over their very different drinks. Loki's a large mug of earl grey and Tony's a rum and coke. Loki had been injured during a fight. A fight that he refused to tell Tony about what it was over and his magic had been dying, he only had had enough left to summon Tony to him before collapsing. And his apartment was much closer to where they had been than the mansion was so off they went.

"It's very…..minimalist." The Avenger finally said, glancing around the apartment, smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. Loki smiled softly in return, still exhausted. Tony had patched him up but it would take a full night of sleep to re-charge fully after losing so much magic. Damn Victor, he always had been immature, but really had that been the appropriate reaction to Loki calmly saying that they couldn't see each other anymore? Really Victor? As a so called friend of Loki's he should have respected that he was dating someone and backed off. _Not_ try to make out with him and insist that they belonged together then beat him up when Loki pushed him away. Loki glanced over Tony's shoulder at the cold, dark night outside and shivered, oh he was scared. He had never been very frightened of the dark, that had always been Thor's fear, but tonight he was anxious. He was weak, as much as he hated to admit it, he was really weak and Victor was pissed. And Victor knew where he lived, of course he did, they had spent many a night here, coming up with plots to take over the world before falling into bed together. What a selfish, destructive relationship that had been.

_And one I'd hate to be alone_

_But with my ego at full mast_

_I cannot bring myself to ask you..._

When Loki didn't say anything in response to Tony the man sighed and stood up, draining his glass and setting it down on the table. "Thanks for the drink. I hope you feel better." He shifted from foot to foot, waiting for Loki to say something, or at least look at him. "I guess I'll leave than." Loki finally glanced back at him, eyes narrow and uncaring as he forced his expression to be stoic. It was such a reflex by now, never ask for help, and never get in debt to someone. He already felt bad enough having dragged Tony from his home to come take care of him, when had he become so helpless and dependant? He was disgusted with himself.

"_Weakling" Victor hissed, digging the steel tip of his boot into Loki's stomach. The god choked and forced out a snicker, glaring up at Victor from his infuriately submissive position on the ground._

"_Oh my darling that's not what you used to think. What was it….a couple months ago? I seem to remember you begging me….down on your knees Victor, begging me to hold you-." Victor cut him off with another kick to his stomach._

"_The past is the past Loki, and you were the one who wanted all of that to stay in the past, you brought this on yourself." He knelt down beside the trickster and caressed his cheek with a gloved hand and grinned. "All out of your precious magic aren't you? What even are you without it Loki? You are nothing." He drew his hand back and slapped Loki across the face. "Wonder how your precious Stark will like that shiner. Think he'll fawn over you and nurse you back to health baby? Do you think he'll be able to give you anything that I didn't?"_

And god damn Tony wasn't fawning over him. He was standing there, looking for all the world like he wanted to leave. And did Loki really have any right to stop him? Tony had done his duty as a loyal boyfriend. He had helped Loki home, cleaned him up, he hadn't asked too many questions, and he had made him tea. Loki should be thanking him and letting him go on his way.

But oh he did _not_ want to do that.

_Baby, stay with me tonight_

"Wait"

Tony smiled slyly "I wasn't really going anywhere yet."

Loki smiled in return and stood up, walking around the table to meet Tony, pressing their lips together in a quick, chaste kiss that was rather uncharacteristic of him. "Thank you for taking care of me"

"Of course" Tony looked at him closely "You _are_ alright though?"

_It's a while before the light will win_

_And I'd love to have you here to tuck me in, oh,_

"I'm perfectly alright…..I'm just….feeling….kind of shaky at the moment." He whispers, burying his head in Tony's chest so the Avenger doesn't see his blush.

"Want me to stay over?"

_Baby, I hate to be needy_

"No" Loki says quickly, too quickly, he can feel Tony stiffen so he presses a kiss to his Adam's apple, loving the way Tony's heart raced when he did that. "You have work, you save the world every other day and when you're not doing that you're busy being a genius/multi-millionaire…you…" He punctures his every word with more kisses, working his way up to Tony's lips "have a life that needs attending to, and besides Pepper would kill me for keeping you from said life."

_It's just the shadows seem kind of seedy _

The avenger stays still and quiet as Loki talks, his eyes fluttering shut with every kiss. But when Loki finally pulls away from him to take a breath Tony's eyes open and focus on the god. "Shut up with the excuses already. I don't care what I should do. Would _you_ like me to stay the night?"

"I'll be fine" He says, forcing himself to step away from Tony and go walk across the room to the floor to ceiling window, leaning his head against the comforting chill. His apartment was already freezing but Loki always felt like he was burning up when he was out of magic. The shadows outside had converged into a thick sheet of blackness, clinging to the street corners and alleyways. No one was outside, they all knew better than to venture out into that. And here he was, wanting to send Tony out into a night like tonight just because he didn't want to seem needy.

_Baby, stay with me tonight_

_It's a while before the light will win_

_And I'd love to have you here to tuck me in, oh,_

Well fuck that, he needed Tony right now, he needed him here, holding him and whispering that everything was going to be alright because all Loki could see right now was Victor's masked face telling him that he was weak and worthless. And he needed to pretend that it wasn't true.

_Baby, I hate to be needy_

_It's just the shadows seem kind of seedy _

_And I'm begging you to stay here with me_

"Shit, no I won't Tony" He turned back towards him, leaning against the window and gazing at his boyfriend with a pleading look on his face. As he had predicted Tony rushed towards him, expression open and imploring him to tell him what was wrong; oh honey what could be so wrong.

"Will you tell me what happened Loki? Please will you tell me?" He asked, fingers tracing over the counters of Loki's face, committing it to memory.

"Victor happened." He says shortly, staring up at Tony's beloved face and wondering if he would still love him in a year, in 5 years, 10. There were streaks of grey running through Tony's hair, lines cut into the corners of his eyes. There was so little time left.

"We got into a fight…..when I…..I told him that I wouldn't be working with him anymore, I told him that we had to stop being around each other because I was with you. He didn't take it too well."

Tony jerks away from him, eyes deadly. "I'll fucking kill him."

Loki grabbed him by the arm, held him there. "No! Tony that's stupid, you don't need yet another enemy."

"Loki do you know what you looked like when you summoned me? God, you, you were just lying on the ground looking half dead. And you're telling me that _Doom_ did that to you because he doesn't want to accept that you're dating someone else!"

_And I'm begging you to stay here with me_

"Tony I don't care how pitiful I looked! Don't do anything stupid." Loki shouts at him, holding him tighter than he ever had, he always had to be so gentle with Tony, humans were so very breakable.

_I never liked those girls who cling_

_Needing a man for everything_

"Why won't you let me help you?" the avenger shouts right back at him "You know that that's all I want!"

He lowers his eyes and lets go of Tony, clenches his fists by his sides and unclenches them, feeling power swirl up around him. So his magic _was_ starting to come back. He twitches his finger, just a bit, no one else would have noticed it but Tony did and his eyes widened a fraction before he was forced onto his back on the ground by the bright green flash of light that he had come to associate with the trickster god. In a second Loki was on top of him, glaring down at him while straddling his waist, Tony would have found it hot if Loki didn't look so horribly angry. "You are so human sometimes!" The god yells, looking genuinely pissed off "I don't care what Victor did to me, it doesn't matter, he doesn't matter. I'll get him back tenfold at some point, but that is that it's none of your goddamned business! I can handle the bad things in my life; I need you to be the good part of life. I can't have you be a part of all of my baggage." He finishes, trailing off as the look in Tony's eyes turns from angry and desperate to sad and nurturing.

_With batted eyes and pouts intent_

_They bask in attention spent_

_But one thing I envy in their bask_

_They wouldn't hesitate to ask you..._

"I want you Loki" He says quietly, reaching up to grab him by the chin, forcing him to meet his gaze. "Not just the sexy, crazy, fun you, I want every aspect of you, all of your baggage and sadness_, everything_."

"I'm not used to this" Loki replies softly, letting his magic simmer down so Tony can fully sit up. "I'm not used to relying on someone this much."

"I know….neither am I, so we can get used to it together ok?" Tony asks him gently, wiping away a tear off his cheek that Loki hadn't realized was there, damn his emotions.

The god nodded and leaned forward to kiss him, lips hungering for some sort of physical evidence of Tony's love.

_I've been the same girl all along_

"Just so you know" Loki says; drawing back from Tony to look him in the eye, gaze serious. "I'm not going to switch around my whole personality or something to please you."

"Wouldn't dream of it babe." The human says to his god, kissing the side of his neck, tongue darting out to taste the pale expanse of skin there. Loki moans, making Tony smirk into his neck, damn he was so _good_ he couldn't even stand it sometimes.

_Too independent proud and strong_

_More like an island and a rock_

_Than like a pillow or a dock_

"Tony…." He groans, pushing him away firmly "Come on, pay attention. This is serious."

The younger man sighs and leans back on his hands "Loki, I _know_. Things will suck sometimes. We are two arrogant, selfish little bitches; we are going to want to kill each other sometimes. It'll be alright in the end though ok?"

_But sometimes strength is just a mask _

Loki smiled widely at him; he didn't think that he had smiled like that since…..since…he couldn't even remember when. "Fuck you are perfect."

The avenger grins back and traces the outline of his cupid's bow, finger tips gentle on Loki's face, eyes full of reverence.

"Does this mean you want me to stay?" He asks, returning back to their original conversation.

_And that's why tonight, my love, I ask you…_

Loki laughs and kisses the tip of his finger; it was Tony's own fault for having his fingers so close to Loki's mouth in the first place. "Yes, yes, of course, I always want you to stay."

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><p>REVIEWREVIEWREVIEW.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Help, all I want to do in life is write songfics. This is to Breathe me by Sia. Not so much Tony in this chapter but lots of protective best friend Steve and a little implied, onesided Steve/Tony.

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><p><em>Help, I have done it again<em>

When the nightmares wrenched him out of sleep Loki had glanced over at Tony instinctively, hoping against hope that he was awake. But no, he was fast asleep, breathing heavy and even. Loki sighed and got out of bed, feeling around for some sort of clothing, he pulled it on soundlessly and padded out of the room, so, _so_ used to this by now.

Though tonight the dreams hadn't been what he had come to expect. No painful memories of his old _home_. He laughed bitterly at the word. No, tonight it had been dreams of the occurrences of last week. Flashbacks of Victor beating him up and down until he was a magically void mess, sprawled out on the ground, flashbacks of the horrible things that Victor had hissed at him, all the anxiety and self-doubt that had been attacking him from all sides that night. And then of course Tony had saved him, pulling him close and ignoring all of Loki's half-hearted protesting. But he couldn't, he wouldn't unload all of his worries and baggage on Tony, that would not be fair to the human. It must be stressful enough sleeping with the god who had once been your number one enemy. Damn, he really needed someone else to rely on. In the past he would have gone to Victor and they would have discussed their contempt for all the lowly people around them. That had always made him feel better but not now; he definitely could not do that now. He had chosen his side, as crazy as it was that side seemed to be on the side of the Avengers. Ugh what the hell was he doing with his life?

_I have been here many times before_

He walked around the mansion until his breathing had calmed down enough and his limbs had stopped shaking. Finally he made his way into the kitchen and found Tony's huge stock of alcohol and took a swig directly from a bottle, shuddering at the taste, he had never liked hard liquor much but right now he needed something numbing, something that would make him pass out and forget. Forget it all.

_Hurt myself again today__  
><em>_And, the worst part is there's no-one else to blame_

He set down the bottle and rolled up his sleeve, running slender fingers over the old scars, some intentional, some not, but he remembers the pain and the way it would wake him up and ground him to reality with a smile. A smile that turns bitter at how cliché he really was. Loki takes another drink, tongue rolling up in disgust and anticipation of the bitter taste.

"Tony?" Someone calls into the darkness of the room before the light flips on and Loki sees Steve standing there looking confused. "Oh it's you."

"Greetings Captain, shouldn't you be fast asleep with visions of sugar plums dancing in your head or something?"

Steve laughed "Thank you for using a reference I understand though that is _supposed_ to be used on Christmas Eve."

"Darling I have no clue what this Christmas is that you're talking about. Go back to your sugarplums." Loki grabbed the bottle off the counter and starts to head back towards Tony's room but a hand around his wrist stops him.

_Be my friend_

"Are you alright? Its one in the morning." His sweet, all American face was open and imploring and Loki felt some warmth curling up inside him.

"You make a wonderful clock Steven, thank you for the update now I'd like to go back to bed." Loki tried to snatch his arm out of Steve's grasp but the Captain was holding him tight, his expression turning shocked and Loki felt his stomach plummet.

"What is all this?" He breathed, holding up the mischief god's wrist so the light fell on his scars.

"None of your business." Loki finally wrenched away from him but found that he couldn't turn away and leave the room the way he wanted to.

"Does Tony know?" What a stupid question Steve, of course Tony knew, Tony had explored every inch of Loki, had lingered over every mark and scar but he never asked, just like Loki never asked about his scars. He would just kiss the spot gently and move on.

"Again, none of your damned business."

_Hold me, wrap me up__  
><em>_Unfold me_

"Loki…..I know I'm not Tony or Thor but if you want to talk….."

"Do _not_ speak of Thor with me." Loki says shortly, trying to hide the lump in his throat that had suddenly shown up. Damn…..if…if Tony didn't exist…he could love this innocent, sweet, little thing. But right now this innocent, sweet, little thing was torn between staring at his scars and staring at him, looking as if he wanted to know all of his secrets.

_I am small__  
><em>_And needy_

"I'm adopted." He said with a quick smirk, deciding that if he was going to unload some of his pain on someone then it should be old pain, those half healed scars instead of anything new and festering. He switched the bottle from hand to hand, leaning against the counter opposite Steve and setting the bottle down, knowing that doing something with his hands was an old nervous habit and hating that weakness. "My father never loved me as much as he did Thor and Thor….well…..can you imagine growing up in _his_ shadow?"

"That's a big shadow" Steve muttered.

"Yeah, so I did what I had to, to survive in that place."

"You don't…..still?" The blonde asked awkwardly, leaning towards Loki and putting a big hand on his shoulder, Loki twitched feeling too much like this was Thor he was spilling his secrets to.

"No, not for a while at least, I've found other things to keep the nightmares at bay." Steve glances over at the bottle sitting there, beckoning to them, and frowns, mouth a harsh line. He grabs it and sets it back in Tony's liquor cabinet.

"That stuff will kill you."

"Sorry mother I'm a god, no liver being ruined for me." Loki grinned, hearing the manic edge to his words and he wondered vaguely if he had drunk more than he thought he had.

"Mentally I mean. You can't be so dependent on addictive things like that."

_Warm me up__  
><em>_And breathe me_

"Are you always so concerned about the well-being of your enemies?"The god asked, grinning up at him through his long hair.

"When they're dating my best friend than yes"

Loki laughed and glanced at Steve through eyes that reminded the captain uncomfortably of a cat's. "Dating…..it sounds so…..human."

Steve blinks, once, twice, his mouth dropping open to form a perfect little o. "I keep forgetting that you're not human."

_Ouch I have lost myself again__  
><em>_Lost myself and I am nowhere to be found,__  
><em>_Yeah I think that I might break__  
><em>_I've lost myself again and I feel unsafe_

Oh ow, that had hurt. That oddness in Steve's voice was just one more reminder that he was _different_, that he did not belong with these people. He was not human, he wasn't even Asgardian, and he could never, _never_ really think of himself as a frost giant either, so what was he? Was he anything? Loki felt something deep inside him shatter, just another piece of himself dying and falling into the abyss that was growing inside of him. "And yet _I_ can't forget it." He mutters bitterly._Be my friend_

"Loki…." Steve says quietly, moving closer to him slowly, approaching him like he was a wounded animal, maybe he was. "It's ok you know" He touches his shoulder with light fingers, wondering if Loki would allow this, when he did Steve held his shoulder more firmly, holding him in place and looking into his eyes. "It's fine. You're with friends now."

The mischief god snorts "Friends? I tried to destroy all of you and your whole planet scarcely a year ago, Tony may like me but as for the rest of you…."

"Tony loves you and you know it. Thor loves you too, no matter how many times you rub Tony in his face. I like you; otherwise I wouldn't be out here at 1 in the morning talking to you. Natasha seems to think that you're the best person ever suddenly…." Loki smiles slightly, _that_ would be because they had spent last Saturday when Tony was off working discussing the stupidity of men and drinking martinis. "Clint is incredibly entertained by your and Tony's incessant kissing and Bruce doesn't care as long as you don't make the other guy come out again." Steve stops talking and smiles at him. "For someone that was once our number one enemy you've done a pretty good job making friends."

_Hold me, wrap me up__  
><em>_Unfold me_

"I think I ought to back to sleep before you decide to hug me or something equally horrific." Loki smirks when Steve looks hurt for a half second before he gets that Loki is kind of, sort of kidding and smiles.

"Yeah that's probably for the best."

_I am small__  
><em>_And needy__  
><em>_Warm me up__  
><em>_And breathe me_

As Loki is turning around to go back up to Tony and his comfortingly chilly room he heard Steve shuffling around uncomfortably behind him. He rolls his eyes and glances over his shoulder. "Was that all captain?"

"Just…don't break his heart or anything kay?" Steve is shifting from foot to foot, arms crossed over his broad chest. Just then Loki realizes just how pretty he is, and how much he cares about everyone, _especially_ Tony. That…..that could be a problem.

"I'll do my best." Loki replies, trying to show the man without words that he really didn't ever want to hurt Tony, Steve nods and turns away, obviously done with the conversation. The mischief god bites his lips and heads back to Tony's room. When he reaches the bedroom Tony is still fast asleep, tangled in blankets, Loki grins and lies back down in his spot on the left side of the bed, its freezing cold, like most things that Loki occupies are. Tony stirs in his sleep, rolling over to face the slighter man, lips falling open as his eyelids twitch. Loki kisses him on the mouth softly, wrapping his arms around him and twining their legs together. "Go back to sleep" He whispers, a bit of magic lacing his words, Tony smiles, falling back into that deep sleep that Loki was so envious of.

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><p>I swear that there is a little bit of a plot somewhere in there. Or not. I'm not really sure yet, I don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to plot….ugh. Also! About the TonySteve, I got stuck in the superhusbands tag on tumblr and if you haven't already I suggest that you check it out, they are so freaking cute that I could die. But anyways I hope you liked it and please review! Let me know what you all think!


	6. Chapter 6

When Tony heard his TV turn on (well ok he didn't really hear it turn _on_ he heard the sudden blaring of what sounded like jersey shore) he sighed and smiled fondly to himself. He had just gotten out of the shower and was getting dressed slowly while going through his oh so careful beauty ritual. "Jarvis" He muttered as he poked at some stress lines that seemed to have gotten deeper over night in the mirror. "Is that who I think it is?"

"If you are assuming that it is Loki Laufeyson than you are correct sir." Responded Jarvis's precise voice.

"Hm" Tony grinned and finished his grooming; throwing his towel around his shoulders so his wet hair wouldn't drip onto his shirt. The avenger opened up the bathroom door and strode out into his conjoined bedroom, grinning broadly at his boyfriend (Huh that had been the first time he had automatically thought of Loki as his boyfriend, wow). "Hey babe you know I bought you that lovely, _expensive_ iphone so that you could call or text me when you are coming over. Not so you could continue to show up at impromptu times. I _do_ have a multi millionaire dollar company to run."

Loki barely spared him a glance, he only laughed and continued watching TV "Darling we both know who runs your company and it is most certainly not you. And why should I inform you of my intended visits when I could arrive here quicker than I could send you a text message?"

The avenger held back his loving smile and walked behind the couch that Loki was sitting on and tilted his trickster's head back so he could kiss him hello. "And you enjoy catching me off guard, don't lie."

"Telling me not to lie is like telling the captain to stop being such a virgin." The trickster god said with a mischievous smile as he directed his attention back to the TV in front of him.

Tony chocked on a laugh and turned away to go get a drink throwing a "Want anything?" over his shoulder to Loki.

"Tony it's 10 in the morning." The slighter man reminds him, stretching out on the couch and giving a blanket that was jumbled up near him a glare. Loki had always hated warmth, even now, being in Tony's room; though the man always kept it fairly cold for him he was at the edge of discomfort.

"So I'll get you a…?" Tony raised an eyebrow at him, standing behind his bar he looked just as at home as he did in his workshop or in front of a computer.

Loki thought for a moment, biting at his lower lip because he knew how much that drove Tony _crazy._ "Sex on the pool table"

The avenger for the second time in less than a couple minutes chocked and actually coughed for about a minute straight "Loki you are going to be the death of me."

"So you don't know how to make it?" He asked sweetly, turning all the way around to face Tony, he folded his arms over the back of the couch and rested his chin on them, eyes glinting.

"Oh honey, of course I know how to make it." Tony started taking out various juices and liqueurs, concentrating on the task at hand so he wouldn't get distracted by the idea of oh my god sex on a pool table. Why hadn't he done that before? Did he even own a pool table? "Babe I think I know what you're getting me for my birthday." He said, smirking down at the now finished drink and pouring himself a shot of whiskey.

Loki laughed coyly, accepting the drink when Tony walked back over to him and taking a small sip from it as he flipped through the channels. "Counting down the days my dear."

He settled on a movie and Tony immediately toke the remote from him with a worried look. "Oh no, you are not watching Titanic; I don't want a sobbing mess of a god on my hands."

"I don't cry during movies." Said god retorted, glaring at Tony but not attempting to take the remote from his hands.

"You will if you watch that." The avenger flipped the channel and smirked as he saw that they were on oxygen now. "Oh good, shitty TV. My favorite."

"Ohhh he's cute" Loki said, taking another drink as Ryan Gosling came on screen, Tony looked at him shocked; Loki never said things like that. Had his humanness really rubbed off on the trickster that much? Or maybe that was just the effect of Ryan Gosling on any person, human or god.

"Nuh uh, changing it." Tony flipped it again, going through about 100 channels in 10 seconds. "Besides that movie would have made you cry too, him and the girl die in each other's arms."

Loki finished off his drink quickly and set it down on the floor, unfolding his long legs out over Tony's lap and winding his arms around his neck, coiling around him like a cat. "You never let me have any fun" He half whined, half whispered in his ear, sending shivers down the avenger's spine.

"Your definition of fun is a bit warped babe." He finally stopped at a channel and set the remote down to focus his attention on the lithe god that was currently halfway in his lap and playing with his hair in favor of the television.

"Wait what's this?" And Loki was out of his lap and leaning towards the TV. "I like this." He said decidedly, staring intently at the screen.

"Phantom of the Opera, it's a movie that's based on this amazing play. Honestly it's one of the only musicals I like." Tony tugged on Loki's hip as he drained his glass in one gulp (hello Mr. functioning alcoholic!); missing the feeling of the cold, slim body curled around him.

Loki batted his hand away and grabbed the remote, turning the volume up on the TV, eyes focused on Christine and the Phantom as they sung about the music of the night. Slowly as he watched he leaned back into Tony again, head resting against his chest and legs stretched out on top of the small table in front of them. As his boyfriend gazed in awe at the large screen Tony ran his fingers through the god's black curls and allowed the warm and fuzzy feeling in his stomach to unfurl inside him and fill him up.

That was what Loki did to him. He drove him crazy and he made him sane. Without Loki maybe things would be more stable but they sure as hell would be a lot crazier. And Tony liked (_loved_) this balance that they had going on right now. It was hard to believe that just over a week ago they had been yelling at each other over the fact that Victor had beaten Loki until he was practically human he was so weak. Tony frowned as he remembered but then smirked to himself, he had told Thor about that incident the day after it happened. Needless to say Victor wouldn't be bugging Loki or anyone for a while. And even through all of that craziness that happened between them they could still have amazing moments like this, relaxed, lovely, perfect moments. The avenger took the god's hand and laced their fingers together, turning his arm over so he couldn't see the cuts that marked Loki's pale skin, he wondered why Loki hadn't erased the scars from his skin yet, they both knew that he could easily do it. What was he holding onto? That really irked him; they had both had enough angst for a lifetime. Tony's indulgent smile dissolved as he was reminded of his own self destructive habits and how he and Loki had even gotten into this unhinged, odd relationship in the first place.

_He was drunk. Yep, definitely wasted, plastered, smashed, intoxicated and all of the above. He really should call Pepper. God he missed Pepper, he was annoyed when she was there and nostalgic when she was gone. What was the matter with him? No wonder Pep was always so pissed off at him, he was an absolute mess._

"_I have got to get it together." Tony said out loud, setting down the bottle of booze and lying back on his bed, hating himself and everything and why was the room spinning so much?_

"_Honestly Stark, I had expected better from you. With a mind like yours…..but you are only human I suppose." Said a quiet, amused voice, a voice that he recognized, a cold, intelligent voice with a British-like accent, where did he know that voice from?_

"_Not really British though" He mused "More like every accent mixed together."_

_The voice laughed, he had a pretty laugh. Tony knew somewhere deep inside him that he should be frightened or angry that this voice was in his house, in his room, but at the moment he couldn't bring himself to care. Why wasn't Jarvis talking though? Didn't Jarvis normally help Tony out when he was intoxicated?_

"_If you're wondering why your computer assistant isn't speaking…well I may have had him go to sleep. Really Stark you work him to hard." Tony felt his bed shift as the person sat down and then crawled up next to him, a blur of white and black and green, familiar colors. "You both ought to have a night off." There was a flirty quality to that pretty voice and it gave Tony the strength he needed to focus his vision. Flirting he understood, and he especially understood it with someone with a voice like this. And then when the face came into focus the avenger felt a shock run through him, cutting through his drunkenness._

"_Loki?"_

_The trickster god, the god that was supposed to be on Asgard, in prison, grinned at him. "Hello Stark."_

"_You are supposed to be in jail" Tony pointed out, trying not to think about the fact that he had just been vaguely turned on by a super villain's voice less than a minute ago. "In fact, you shouldn't even be on earth."_

_Loki laughed and scooted closer to Tony, mischievous eyes looking him over in a way that made Tony want to run and hide. "Someone who looks like me and who has as many enemies as me….well….jail wasn't a very fun place to be. So I left. And then I remembered that a nice young genius had offered me a drink this one time when I tried to take over his planet." The god placed a slim, freezing cold hand on Tony's thigh and in one smooth motion straddled the avenger's waist, running his fingers over Tony's chest. "But then I found him trying to drink himself to death, quite rude if you ask me."_

"_No one did." Tony replied, wondering why he wasn't freaking out yet about the fact that Loki was in his lap, gazing at him with bedroom eyes. "And I wasn't trying to drink myself to death, just a coma, comas are nice, people give them a bad rap but really I could use one." He babbled, trying to think through both the influence of the alcohol on his brain and the influence of one Loki Liesmith on his uhm….other brain. "Could you get off my lap please?"_

_The trickster god laughed mockingly and his fingers trailed down Tony's chest to settle on his hips, leaving goose bumps all over the avenger. "Interesting, your mouth tells me to do one thing and the rest of you tells me to do another." Tony realized that Loki wasn't wearing the armor that he had seen when the god had attempted to take over the world last year. Instead he had on soft black clothes made of some material that Tony didn't recognize, the thin clothing made the avenger realize how small Loki actually was. And in his lap, pressed up against him and with alcohol racing through his body that thought made Tony's good decision making skills vanish completely. Loki grinned toothily as if he knew that Tony had basically given up resistance and his fingers slipped underneath Tony's tee shirt to touch his bare skin. "However since I don't want you passing out on me I think we ought to forgo that drink."_

_The avenger smiled almost against his will and shifted his hips, grinding into Loki's, smiling a bit more easily when a strangled moan escaped the god's lips. "And what do you suggest we do instead?"_

_Loki smirked, a strange, almost appreciative light entering his green eyes. He leaned closer to Tony, right next to his ear, his tongue darting out to taste the sensitive spot behind his ear lobe. "We're both fairly intelligent Stark. I'm sure we'll think of some way to occupy our time."_

"_Oh yes I'm almost positive that we will." Tony waited until Loki had pulled away from his ear and then he kissed the god on the lips, curious about how Loki would react to something like that. He always had liked a puzzle. It was a quick, practiced kiss, they both had obviously had years of experience but Tony felt something odd on the trickster's lips that made him push Loki away. "What happened to your mouth?" He asked, peering closely at the other man and running his fingers over those soft lips, wondering if maybe he had imagined it. But no, there were definitely scars there, as though his lips had been slashed practically to ribbons. They were mostly healed so Tony figured that meant it had to have fairly recently, otherwise there would be no evidence._

"_I have quite a few enemies, many of them in jail. I suppose that my so called father thought it would be funny if they were my cell mates. They tried to sew my mouth shut; some people don't like my brand of wit I suppose." Loki's voice was matter of fact but he had scooted back from Tony a few inches as if ashamed of his scarred mouth. "I was angry enough that I was able to access enough magic to break out of there." At Tony's interested look Loki nodded and smiled bitterly "Yes Odin tried to keep my magic from me. One of the few things that can give me the upper hand in a fight and he would rather have me…..rather have me be the victim of all the depraved, demented wants of those disgusting creatures-!" Tony cut him off with another kiss, reaching up and cupping his face with both hands, fingers splaying out and into Loki's soft, overgrown black hair. The avenger gently parted his scarred lips and explored the trickster's mouth, tasting blood and something else, something that reminded him of the smell of burnt wires. Huh, that must be what magic tasted like._

"_Stark….." Loki pulled back from him, eyes wary "I did not come here for you to attempt to comfort me."_

"_Yeah I know" Tony grinned, eyes wide and shining, magic was a taste that he could definitely get used to. "You came here to grab a drink, have some mind numbing sex and then leave. Believe me Loki I've done the same thing many times. However" He grabbed the god around the waist and pushed him down onto his back on the bed. Loki let out a little gasp of surprise and glared up at the human half heartedly, if anything he looked a little amused by the turning of the tables. Tony rose up on his elbows above Loki, eyes soft as they looked over the god. He looked so much more…..innocent? Was that the word? No, Loki could never look innocent….it was more like….vulnerable, he looked much less like a super villain than he had a year ago and now looked more like how Thor had always described him, as a lost adopted kid who was just looking for a place to belong. Now of course Tony could never forgive him for everything that he had done but….but maybe Loki had changed. Or maybe this was just the alcohol talking. "I think I would like to comfort you before we have that mind numbing sex if you don't mind."_

"_And if I mind?"Loki asked, hands reaching up to the hem of his shirt again, trying to tug it off. _

_Tony laughed and sat back on his heels to pull his shirt off, throwing it across the room. "Well, you see babe you are currently on your back, on my bed and I'm on top of you. I think…..that you will be doing whatever I tell you to." His voice dropped and became husky as he pushed Loki's hair away from his face and kissed the corner of his mouth. "Now, how about you forget about your asshole of a father and oh, also your idiotic brother and focus on me ok?"_

"_He is not my brother!" The god said, his eyes which had been fluttering closed shot open and stared at Tony, daring him to say that horrid word again._

"_I told you to forget about him didn't I?" Tony's lips trailed downward as he spoke, heated skin on almost uncomfortably cold skin. When they met the fabric of Loki's black shirt he rose up to smile at Loki again, eyes playful. "Mind getting rid of that for me?" In a flash the shirt was gone. The avenger's smirked "You are useful to have around aren't you god of mischief?"_

_Loki's answering grin was more sinful and intention filled than Tony would have previously thought possible. "You have no idea just how useful I can be, man of iron."_

"_Oh I don't doubt it." Tony started kissing his now exposed collar bone and down his shoulder, he was making his way down Loki's slender arm when a hand clutching at his bicep stopped him._

"_Not there" Loki's voice was filled with desperation and it made the avenger raise his eyebrows and shrug the hand off of his arm._

"_This is the comforting part of our evening together Loki. Now let me see your arm." In the back of his mind he wondered why Loki was allowing him to do all of this. Was the god really this torn up about whatever had happened to him in the Asgardian jail? Had he really been that drastically weakened? The old Loki, the one who had attempted to take over his world, would never have allowed Tony to control him like this. Hell, the old Loki wouldn't have even come here in the first place. So he touched Loki's arm with gentle fingers and slowly inspected the pale skin. Scars, scar after scar, what looked like layers of them, some old and shining silver and some an angry red._

"_Ok" He said softly, considering questioning Loki about it but knowing that that would end with him all alone in bed with just a cold spot where Loki had been. So Tony leaned down and kissed his arm, hoping, praying that this was ok, that Loki wouldn't run away if he did this. Huh, who knew that gods were so human?_

_Loki was shaking underneath him, when Tony let go of his arm he reached up and pulled the avenger back down towards him. "Believe me that's enough comforting for one night." He whispered, kissing him again. _

"_Ok" Tony repeated dumbly, kissing him back and wondering just what the bloody hell all of this meant._

"Tony?" Loki was looking at him, eyebrows raised. The avenger glanced at the screen and saw that the movie was done, the credits were rolling.

"I just spaced out for the whole movie didn't I?"

The trickster smiled "You did. What were you thinking about?" He was running his fingers over the scruff of Tony's five o'clock shadow, he was always intrigued by something and Tony loved that about him. Loki was rarely bored; he was always finding something that transfixed him, even if it was just the feeling of facial hair.

The avenger laughed and kissed Loki's finger when it got to close to his lips, wrapping his mouth around the digit for a second, eyes playful as he gazed at the god. "You" He murmured once Loki had pulled his hand away, blush rising to his cheeks. "When am I thinking of anything else?"

The mischief god shook his head at the human "Sentimental fool" he said though there was no bite to his words.

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><p>Shameless movie-watching fluff, I have no regrets. Shit is about to hit the fan though, so get ready for some more lovely angst.<p>

Review!


	7. Chapter 7

Dear readers, I'm a terrible person. All of my stories are sitting around my documents halfway done and now I need to go on vacation for 2 weeks…..vacation meaning no computer access of course. I'm so _so _sorry, once I get back I'll pull an all nighter to finish writing, that's how much you guys mean to me. Ok I'm done now; there really was no point to this except I feel guilty about how long it's been.


	8. Chapter 8

Wow sorry about taking so long. Right after my vacation away from my parents I got dragged off to the beach with them so i've been busy having a social life which has been weird.

But anyways I do hope you like it!

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><p>He was heading back to his apartment for the first time in a week. There really was no actual reason to go back there, he could teleport anything he wanted straight to Tony's room, but Loki was <em>so fucking bored<em>, he just had to get out and do something. Tony was off with Pepper to go do some charity thing for Stark Industries and with him gone for the day there was nothing keeping the god at the mansion. Thor had wanted him to stay; he had gotten ridiculously excited about the prospect of having some alone time with Loki. Ugh…he probably wanted to talk about Loki's _relationship_. The trickster had so far avoided any deep talks with his brother and was trying to keep it that way. And the other avengers….while they all seemed surprisingly supportive and trustful of Tony's judgment he knew that they would all feel more comfortable without him lurking about.

So here he was taking a taxi to his apartment (sometimes it amused him to play at being human ok?) and he had just paid (with the small square of plastic that he had stolen from Tony's pocket as he kissed him goodbye that morning) when he felt a malicious presence stirring, like seeing an unwelcome figure out of the corner of your eye. Loki stepped out of the taxi and stared up at his apartment building, bright eyes narrow as he tracked the presence. Oh _of course_, it was in his apartment, why was he even surprised? He rolled his eyes and strode into the building, headed straight for the elevator, fingers tapping nervously against his thigh as the elevator climbed the many floors of the high rise building. Loki could feel the weight of the iphone that Tony had bought him in his pants pocket and considered calling the human but….what the hell was he thinking? He was a _god_! Not some ridiculous damsel in distress, he could take care of himself.

The god glanced down at himself and wrinkled his nose at his appearance. He was wearing tight black jeans that Tony insisted he buy and one of the avenger's idiotic band t-shirts. And, Loki peered in the reflective surface of the elevator for confirmation, yep; his hair was one big mess of black curls. Ugh, this was what staying with Tony for days on end did to him. Loki sighed and blinked, feeling magic pulling at the pit of his stomach and engulfing him. When he stepped out of the elevator he had on skinny leg black suit pants and a dark green button up shirt, his hair was arrow straight and it hung to his shoulders. The trickster tucked a lock behind his ear and smiled charmingly at the cleaning girl in the hallway, making her blush and stare after him. When he got to the door to his apartment Loki hesitated before unlocking the door. The presence was strong, there was no mistaking it. But there was no going back now.

"Hello Victor." He called as he closed the door behind him.

The super-villain smiled widely when he saw him, making Loki narrow his eyes, so they were going to play _that_ game were they? Well ok, he could be nice, for now at least. The god looked him over, for once Victor wasn't wearing his mask or his armor, the only thing that marked him as different from any other man on the street was the scar that ran the length of his face. Oh…..and the fading bruises that were decorating his sharp cheekbones and jaw.

"Hello" Victor says shortly, he is sitting on Loki's black couch, looking incredibly confident and at home there. He raises a glass of red wine to his lips and sips it briefly, eyes never leaving Loki's. "I helped myself, hope you don't mind dear?"

Loki tilts his head at the man, mouth curling into a dangerous smirk. "Oh of course not, _dear._" A flash of green and suddenly the glass is out of Victor's hand and in Loki's and he is wetting his lips with the wine. "What are you doing here Victor?" Then he pauses, looks him over and smiles a little wider "Wait, more pressing question. Who ruined your pretty little face and can I give them a medal?"

Victor looks at him surprised "Oh don't tell me you don't know."

At Loki's blank look Victor laughs cruelly "Your brother decided to let out some pent-up frustration on me. I assumed that you must have gone crying to him after our little chat."

The god snorts and takes another sip of wine to hide his rising unease "Are you that idiotic? When have I ever gone to Thor for help?"

The doctor leans closer, eyes glinting; his eyes had always been the only way that Loki was able to tell what he was thinking. "Oh I see, you told your precious_ Tony_ and then he told Thor. Why couldn't he come defend your honor himself hmm? To busy fucking you senseless to bother?"

Loki's hands are already sparking with magic as he lets his wine glass drop to the floor, liquid staining the carpet. "Is that all you wanted to say? Because I would _really_ like to start killing you now."

A sharp laugh and Victor stands up, still looking as comfortable as can be. "Ah, there's the Loki I was looking for. The half-insane wild cat" He smirks knowingly and Loki has to force himself not to blush or let any emotion through because he knows Victor is choosing his words carefully, trying to remind him of all their late nights together, attempting to make him vulnerable. "I was beginning to get worried that Stark had completely tamed you."

The mischief god's eyes narrow and in a second he is on Victor, knocking the man onto his back on the floor, one hand on his throat and the other raised above him, towards the ceiling, his fingers splayed out. His lips moving quickly, forming words that aren't in any human language. In a second his hand is crackling with electricity so bright that Victor has to force himself to look away from it. Loki glances down at him and smiles. "How about we leave my human out of this ok?" Victor laughs, he is actually laughing at Loki, looking like he is completely at ease in this situation. In one smooth motion he rolls over, trapping the god beneath him, Loki is so surprised by this that his concentration breaks and the spell fizzles out. Victor immediately has both of his wrists in one hand before he can summon another spell and there is metal closing around them, sending a shock of horror through Loki. "What have you done?" He asks, staring up at Victor through wide eyes, hoping that what he was thinking wasn't true…

"This" He taps the metal, grinning triumphantly "acts like a dam, keeping your magic inside of you and away from anyone else. Now…." He shifts, making their hips graze together, drawing a strangled curse from Loki in a language that Victor does not know. "This _does_ bring back old memories."

"Go die Victor" Loki snarls, trying desperately to get up but Victor seems to be holding him down with more than just his weight, Loki suspects that there is some sort of spell in the handcuffs that keeps him at least mostly submissive. Oh the fun that he and Tony would have with these things.

"Mm I don't think so" Victor says, keeping Loki's wrists pinned above his head with one hand and tracing his collarbone with the other hand, touch deceptively gentle, Victor always had liked to pretend that he wasn't a demented sadist, he thought it was fun to trick people. That had been one of the first things that made Loki like him, and it also was one of the first things that made him hate him.

Loki flinched as his former lover's hand dipped lower, trailing down to his hip. Victor sits back on the god's thighs, his eyes darkening as he looked Loki over.

"So was this the plan than?" The trickster questions, glaring up at his captor "Get me close enough that you could put on your kinky handcuffs and then…..what Victor? Show me what I'm missing for picking Tony over you? Pretty immature plan dear."

Victor smiled down at him "You say immature, I say victorious, but then we always had such different opinions on the details of things." He leans back over Loki, lips grazing his earlobe and he bites the sensitive skin behind the god's ear. "I can tell you enjoy this Loki. Why continue lying to yourself? Why allow Stark to tame and cage you? We both know just how _insane _you truly are and how wonderful that insanity can make you feel." Loki hisses in annoyance as Victor bits down again, breaking the skin.

"I despise you." He whispers, voice dripping with malice.

The other man laughs at him, his breath cold and minty on Loki's skin. He hates the sterile cleanliness of the breath. There was absolutely nothing human or real about it. Tony's breath wasn't like that. It was hot and masculine and emotional and smelled like alcohol and nighttime. Loki focused on the memory of Tony's breath, Tony's voice, his dark, bottomless eyes and the way that they saw right through everything that Loki did.

"You despise the truth, not me." Victor says, glancing at the god's expression, his hard eyes and tight mouth. "Well ok maybe you hate me too, but you'll get over it."

Loki glares at him but the full force of his anger isn't directed at Victor, he is focusing on the metal encircling his wrist as well, focusing on the magic building up inside of him. Victor had said that the handcuffs dammed his magic; it kept it in him and away from anyone else. But what if…..what if he focused the magic onto his skin? It would still be in him but it would also be touching the handcuffs….there definitely was some way to get out of these things and thus some way to pay Victor back for this little visit. What if he…..Loki smiled sweetly at Victor, gazing up at him through his eyelashes, schemes racing through his mind.

"You really shouldn't have brought Tony into this. I don't give a shit about what you say about me but I will not stand to hear you say his name, as if you are equal to him." His skin is burning but Victor doesn't seem to have noticed anything, he is staring at Loki uncertainly, not quite sure how to react to this unexpected rebellion. "Because you are _not _equal to him, Tony is 100 times the man that you could ever be and all of this, this cutting off my magic, trying to make me submit to you only proves that. He would never do anything like this; he would never have to, because I would never leave him, because I actually love him." He grins widely, expression a little too manic to be actually happy. But that's good because it distracts Victor from the magic on the skin of his wrist, heating up, melting and warping the metal of the handcuffs.

Loki channels a bit of the magic to his voice as the handcuffs begin to break, and his voice is suddenly silky and sultry, making Victor's hard expression soften and his eyes glaze over. The trickster smirks inwardly; there had been a reason that he had been called Silver-tongue practically from the moment he could talk. "And you know what?"

"What?" Victor asks, seemingly transfixed by the god's outburst.

Loki rips his hands free of the handcuffs and flicks his hands at Victor, throwing the man off of him and onto the floor. He makes a harsh, slashing motion in the air and Victor is suddenly wrapped in silver wires that cut into his skin. "You are jealous; you have never been loved properly have you dear? You thought that you and I could have worked but you were wrong."

"I was not wrong!" Victor shouts at him, eyes wild and full of hatred. "You were the one who ran off after the first genius who could sweet talk you into bed. I would have tried for you Loki but you were never willing to do your share."

The mischief god snorts and curls his fingers inward, bright green sparks floating around his hands, the movement making Victor's bound body rise up into the air so he was eye level with Loki. "Is this what you call _trying_ Victor? This is why we never would have worked; your idea of a date is handcuffing me and having your way."

"You used to enjoy that" The man pointed out, raising an eyebrow at Loki. "And don't tell me that Stark doesn't do that."

"But that's not all that a relationship is Victor!" Loki shouts, snapping his fingers and making Victor fall to the ground again. "Fuck you're worse than I was. How are you_ this_ dense?"

The man struggled to sit up and he shot a glare at the god, dark hair askew. "How are _you_ this different? Why have you allowed yourself to fall so far?" He asked and wow someone is really asking for a beating today aren't they?

"How dare you presume that I've fallen! If anything I have become more than I was!" The mischief god yells, feeling himself revert back into that familiar place in his mind that he used to inhabit so often. That place of chaos and anger and madness, that place that was his sanctuary until the day that Tony Stark offered him a drink and a quick, un-judgmental smile. That was the day that he found a new sanctuary, that was the day that shifted the way he thought about _everything_. He had already fallen so far, fallen further than he had ever dared. And he had loved it. Loki had always enjoyed chaos, feeling out of control, and being with Tony was defiantly chaotic, but it was the sweetest, most familiar sense of chaos that he had ever experienced. Loki tried to calm his breathing down and closed his eyes for a moment, allowing his wild, electric magic to fill him up to the point of overflowing. He blinked and gazed at Victor, a smile curling his lips.

"How do you feel about heights Victor dear?"

The man's eyes widened and he opened his mouth, possibly to try to talk himself out of what Loki was planning. Loki laughed, voice high and clear and he blinked again and when his bright eyes opened the two were on the edge of the Brooklyn Bridge, cars buzzing around them. The trickster god giggled again "You really shouldn't have been so rude about my human, that was your first mistake." He leaned closer, with only magic keeping the two of them from falling into the water. "Your second mistake was using those handcuffs. Did I ever tell you about what happened to me in the Asgardian jail Victor? My darling father attempted to take my magic away from me. I've learned ways around such pathetic attempts to make me submit. But it makes me _very _angry when I am forced to use those methods." His smile widened on one side and a pale hand shot out to grab Victor by the front of his jacket, dangling the man over the edge of the bridge. "So angry that I may do something _drastic_."

Victor attempted to smile charmingly at Loki, using the same manic, "I know something you don't" smile that used to get Loki in bed so easily. "You won't. You're not the same man Loki. Stark has taken away all your wildness. You wouldn't dare let go."

"Wouldn't I?" His hand loosened on Victor's jacket.

The larger man laughed mockingly and his eyes narrowed "Loki baby, let me repeat myself, _you wouldn't dare._"

Loki smiled sweetly and pulled him closer, fingers curling around the lapel of his suit jacket. "Victor. Allow me to make myself very clear. I am not your baby anymore." Then he pushed and let go, making the man topple off of the side of the bridge and into the water waiting below.

The mischief god laughed, glad to have rid himself of that annoyance. Of course Victor was alright, maybe hurt but he was a man who would not die easily. He would be back, but at least Loki would have a short reprieve. The trickster straightened his suit, glanced around at the pathetic humans in their cars staring at him, dropped a wink and disappeared with a flash of green.

Tony was confused. And he was not often confused. But since Loki had become a fixture in his life….well he had been getting more accustomed to the feeling. The genius turned on his heel, taking in his whole bedroom, yep, just as he had thought, no god lounging on his bed or couch. "Loki?" He called, eyebrows furrowing "You here babe?"

He heard quiet feet walking past his open door and spun around "Oh hey Clint"

"I think Thor said he went to his apartment" The archer said, looking uncomfortable "He's been drinking and throwing things ever since the asshole left."

Tony rolled his eyes, now he needed to go _all_ the way across town. But then again Loki had been at the mansion for about a week now, he probably had been feeling a little suffocated. "Jarvis, suit." Once he was suited up Tony walked over to the window then on second thought glanced over his shoulder at Clint who was still in the doorway and smirked, wagging a finger at him. "And no one calls my boyfriend names except me."

As he flew through the city Tony wondered at Loki's silence. Normally when he was working the god would try to distract him through any way possible. But today had been completely silent, not a text or a call or a blown up abandoned building to catch his attention. Tony sighed, it was always so difficult trying to figure Loki out, there was nothing simple about him "Incoming call from director Fury sir" Jarvis said in a monotone in his ear.

"Tell him I'm dead."

"He is attempting to hack my systems sir."

Tony glared at a pigeon trying to cut him off "Fine, accept the goddamn call."

"Stark what the hell is going on?" Oh he could just picture Fury, glaring into the phone, spittle clinging to the sides of his mouth.

"Well quite a lot is going on actually. The ozone layer is slowly being destroyed; Romney is a serious candidate for president despite my many suggestions to nominate the captain, Chik-Fil-A has just made themselves public enemy number one…."

"Shut up Stark. I'm talking about your boyfriend, have you seen what he's been getting up to today?"

Tony could feel his stomach plummet. It had been _such _a long time since Loki had done something bad; he had been doing so good for so long. "What happened?" His voice is low and serious, all signs of joking gone.

"Well the news hasn't caught wind of it yet, only a few bloggers got some photos…."

"What happened?" Tony repeated, so done with Fury's shit.

"Loki was seen throwing Victor Von Doom off the Brooklyn Bridge."

Tony caught sight of Loki's apartment building and the trickster's very distinctive window with its fire escape covered in climbing ivy. He could see a slim figure moving past the window, a dark figure, and he sped up, landing on the fire escape with a clatter. "I'll talk to you later. Wait no I won't, you can yell at me later." He said, ending the call.

"Lucy I'm home."

The god glanced over at him and smiled. "I get the feeling that you just referenced something that I should know." He snapped his fingers and the suit was immediately off of Tony, packed into a small metal suitcase.

Tony pouted as the god walked up to him "You just did that so you would be taller than me." He said, grabbing the god by the collar of his jacket and tugging him down to meet his lips. Loki smiled into his mouth and allowed the avenger to guide him over to the couch and sit down, still attached at the mouth. Tony detached himself from the trickster for a second to look him in the eye "I heard you threw Doom off the Brooklyn Bridge."

Loki grinned crookedly "I may have."

Tony ignores Loki's lovely smile and the impulse to kiss those lips and forces a serious expression on his face. "He didn't hurt you did he?"

The god visibly deflates, his shoulders slumping and he scoots away from Tony a bit on the couch, crossing his long legs. "No, everything was fine, I had it under control." He says, eyes flickering under Tony's gaze.

"Then why did you throw him off the bridge?"

Loki smiles a little sadly, finally meeting Tony's stare full on. "He was being rude about you. it was a natural reaction."

Tony laughed, surprised at the answer and kissed Loki on the corner of his mouth "Baby you are so insane and I love it so much."

A short, bubbling laugh escaped the trickster's lips and he kissed his human back, allowing himself to be pushed back on the couch, sighing in contentment as Tony touched and didn't touch, give and took and he knew that Victor was right, he had been tamed.

Loki closed his eyes, feeling tears burn his eyes. 'Victor was completely right.'

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><p>Wait whats that I see? A hint of a plot? Good lord Houston we have a plot. I didn't even do that on purpose wow. Anyways my lovely, flawless readers, please review and let me know what you think!<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

Last chapter lovelies!

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><p>Tony's first indication that something was wrong was the stack of tabloids piled outside the front door of his house in Malibu. Trashy tabloids with headlines like "Trouble in paradise?" "Cheating scandal!" and his personal favorite "Is this the end of Tonki?" Pictures of him looking annoyed and Loki shielding his face from the paparazzi branded the covers. Tony sighed, thinking that this could only mean trouble. Then his phone started playing Fury's ringtone (Which was call me maybe because Loki had thought it was funny and had stolen his phone to mess up all of his ringtones last week) and he <em>knew<em> that this meant trouble.

"Have either of you seen the tabloids?" Was Fury's lovely way of saying hello and Tony rolled his eyes at the man's truly wondrous way with people.

"Well there's a stack of them almost as tall as me in front of my door, so yeah I'd say Loki saw them." He mutters, stepping around the stack to get in through the door and stops, mouth agape. The magazines are _everywhere_ in the house. "Yeah ok, Loki's pissed." The avenger says softly into the phone, mentally cursing every tabloid and person who supported them because damn it now he was going to have to talk down an angry mischief god.

"Well calm him down then Stark, we can't have another bridge incident. That was hard enough to keep under wraps, we can't have him going off the rails again." He paused, seemingly searching for words "So keep him in your sights will you? I have people working with the magazine owners right now to stop this."

"By working with you mean threatening?" He asked, laughing lightly as he sidestepped another pile of magazines and headed towards his bedroom. "Anyways, seems like Loki has taken every copy of every tabloid ever to attack me with so we don't need to worry about this getting out."

Fury was silent for a few moments as Tony walked up the stairs to his bedroom, hoping that Loki would be here. All he needed right now was a disappearing act. Especially with how odd Loki had been acting lately, not that he would ever admit it to anyone, but it was kind of worrying him. It was almost like how Loki used to be, those first few nights when they would roll around in the dark for a few hours and then once dawn broke the god would be gone. But things had changed right? Tony had changed Loki just like Loki had changed him. Things were good between them, hell Loki had told off Victor Von Doom and thrown him off a bridge for Tony. Loki was practically a member of the avengers at this point. Everyone was working together harmoniously (With the exception of Thor and Loki, they still couldn't be in the same room for an hour without tears and yelling). But their relationship was good, and it was getting better every day right? They loved each other, things had to work out. Tony wasn't sure if he would be able to handle it if they didn't work out. Because what would life be if Loki walked away from him? That was a terrifying thought. Of course he had always known that he needed Loki more than the god needed him but even just considering the idea that Loki could turn around, could change his mind, and could crush his heart in a second…

"Are the two of you going to break up?" Fury finally asked, sounding like he was having some difficulty popping the question, but Tony appreciated the effort he was making at least.

"No, well at least _I _don't want to….I'll let you know if he suddenly tries to kill me and take over the world again though." He said quickly, hitting end on the call and sticking in his back pocket carelessly as he reached the bedroom door, it was slightly open and as he pushed on it the door swung open silently. Tony stepped inside, his breath catching when he saw Loki, for whatever reason he hadn't expected the god to stick around. "Lo?" He called softly, carefully, well aware that any wrong word may set the trickster off.

Loki was sitting on his bed, knees drawn up to his chest and a magazine in front of him, one thin finger tapping out a beat on the page he was reading. "You humans do have some _interesting_ literature." He said quietly, glancing up at Tony through the long hair that was falling around his face.

"Loki….Whatever it says…" He saw that Loki had picked up the one with the words "cheating scandal" emblazoned on the cover and his stomach plummeted. "Come on you know it isn't true. I wouldn't do that."

The trickster raised an eyebrow at him, looking genuinely surprised "Oh this isn't saying that you've done anything wrong Tony fact you have been portrayed as the victim of _my_ infidelity." His smile looked less like an expression of happiness and more like the twisted grimace of someone in terrible pain.

"What?" Tony crossed the room quickly and snatched the magazine away from Loki, eyes quickly scanning the pages; he rolled his eyes in disgust and threw it behind him, sitting down next to the slighter man on the bed. "Babe you shouldn't pay attention to those stupid things. We both know it isn't true and that's what matters right?"

Loki glanced down, tugging at a stray lock of inky hair, eyes cast away from Tony's worried expression and the human can feel a cold hand close around him. "Loki. It isn't true." He said again, forcing some bravado that he doesn't feel into his words. The god still refused to look at him and Tony grabbed his arm, hand closing easily around the skinny limb, Loki could easily shake him off but he doesn't, he stays completely, frighteningly still. "_Loki." _Tony tried again, shaking him now, getting really fucking worried.

Finally the trickster glanced up at him, green eyes impossibly wide and shaken. In the back of his mind Tony wondered if this was what Loki looked like when he was hanging off the side of that rainbow bridge and when he thought he had nothing to live for. "Let me get this out Anthony." He said coldly, making Tony jump when he says his given name, only one person had ever called him that. "I stopped it with Victor…..right after we had that first conversation about him." Tony considered pointing out that Loki had lied to him about the time frame of his relationship with Doom but he puts it out of his mind as the god continues speaking. "But…..when he….the day I threw him off the bridge" Loki paused to smile a little ruefully at that "he was trying to get back together…..he was trying to have sex and saying all of these things, all these things that almost made me let him."

"What type of things?" Tony asked quietly, not trusting his voice to go higher than a whisper because this couldn't be happening. No, no, no….things like this shouldn't happen, none of this was right.

"Things about me….how insane I am…..how _sick _I am…hell Tony, I tried to rule your planet a little over a year ago! All I could think was that maybe he's what I deserve because there is no way that I deserve to be with someone like you." Loki said in one long breath, looking back down at his hands again, running thin fingers over his scarred arms.

"Don't you ever say that you don't deserve me. If I know one thing it's that we deserve each other Loki, we're as equal as a god and a superhero can get." Tony replied sharply with just a hint of his usual sarcasm in his voice, grabbing the god's hands and pulling them away from his wrists, relocating them to his lap. "Keep talking hun' I know you need to." Loki glanced up at his words and smiled a little, looking partially amused by how well Tony knows him and partially terrified by it.

"But then he was rude about you so I pushed him off the bridge. Tony…he said something, something that scared me so terribly." He took a few deep breaths, pulling his hands away from the human and carding them through his dark hair, pushing it off of his face and tucking it behind his ears. "He said that you've tamed me."

The avenger stared at him silently for a few tense seconds, watching the god twitch and fidget under his intense stare. "Well you've tamed _me_. Isn't that what love is?"

A laugh, high and bitter exploded from him, the noise of it grating to Tony's ears. Loki glanced up at him through dark eyelashes and long hair, eyes glinting through the curtain of black. "Darling, _don't_ kid yourself, neither of us knows what love is."

Remember how Tony had thought his stomach had plummeted? Well now it_ really_ had. He swallowed hard against the sudden lump in his throat and grabbed Loki's hands again, holding them tightly, eyes intent on the god. "Ok, I listened to you, now I want you to fucking listen to me for once. You're right, once upon a time I had no clue what love was, and neither did you….but I think we have an idea now." He raised Loki's thin hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles gently, expression soft. "You are not sick, you're not insane and I forgive you for what you did last year. We've already talked about this Loki; I thought that we were past it."

The trickster gazed at him and shook his head "I can't get past it Tony. Really I've tried, but I can't get past any of it, I can't….with everything that's happened…..everything is just so hard." He worried at his upper lip, hands clenching and unclenching. "I don't deserve you. I'm so _ruined_." Loki murmured his expression desperate and both frighteningly young and terribly old all at once. His pale skin was starting to change and Tony could feel a chill emitting from him that made his teeth start to chatter.

"Loki honey, calm down, you're losing your…you're turning blue." He said hurriedly, trying to rub some feeling back into the god's hands but knowing that it wouldn't work. "Shush baby you're just going to give yourself a panic attack if you don't get a grip." Tony said, voice rising as the air around the trickster started to smell faintly of burnt wires and metal, like magic.

"I can't" Loki said quietly, voice high and more than a little insane. His bright eyes were wide as they darted around the room, giving him the appearance of a caged animal; his hands, gripping at Tony are almost uncomfortably tight.

The human raised his hand to his lips and kissed it as gently as he could "Yes you can, just breathe, I'm right here."

The trickster almost laughed at Tony's words but he couldn't right now because he was having his first panic attack since he had learned that he was a frost giant. And in front of Tony no less, how embarrassing. But he couldn't really think of that right now because he was staring down at the human's hands clasped with his and saw the difference in their skin color and knew that Tony could see his true self, he could see everything that Loki had been hiding.

_Blue, it's blue, everything is blue. Tony, Tony can see, Stark, Anthony, Darling, he can see you. He'll hate you.' _A voice whispered in his head, sounding like a combination of Odin, Frigga, Thor, his children and most of all himself. Loki heard a small whimper leave his lips and he curled further into himself. '_Tony, blue, Tony hates blue, I hate blue, I hate Tony, no, no no no. I hate blue, and Victor and everyone except Tony. Victor…..' _He pictured dead eyes and teeth clashing together, both of them refusing to scream when they were together and trying to force the other to, always a competition. '_Fight, hate, scream, trick, lie, Victor understands, he lets me, not your baby, baby, babe, honey, dear, darling, love.' _Tony had pulled him into his lap as he shook and retreated into himself and was stroking his hair and kissing his temples, murmuring sweet nothings in his ear. '_Sweet nothings, nothing is sweet, everything is wrong, Victor is wrong, I am wrong, Tony. Cut, bleed, make it stop, bleeding blue. Blue, blue, blue, everything is blue. Not Tony, red and gold and black, everything except blue. I just really love you ok. Perfect, so perfect, imperfect, why can't things be perfect?'_

"Things can become perfect." Tony says loudly, cutting through the thoughts that had weaving and wrapping and suffocating the god's mind. Loki glanced up at him shocked; really terrified the Tony had heard all of that, all of that madness that lived in his head. Because surely he would leave now, just like everyone else had left once they figured out that he couldn't be fixed. The human put a warm hand on his cheek, dark, heady eyes tender and melting. "Really love, you should stop talking so much, let someone else get a word in."

"I" Loki breathed in deeply, feeling the rawness of his throat and wondered distantly for how long he had been babbling, letting out all of his thoughts, dumping all of his madness on this poor man. With a shudder he pulled internally, draping his normal form over the jotun one, feeling his skin bleed back to its normal paleness, he blinked and felt his eyes practically _turn_ in his head and knew that once he opened them that he was gazing at Tony through emerald instead of crimson. "I'm sorry" He whispered, unconsciously running fingers over the old scars on his left wrist. '_Cut, bleed, bleeding blue.'_

Tony put a hand over his wrist, eyes no longer so melting and filled with a different heat now, something that made Loki sit up a little straighter. "I don't want you cutting." The avenger says voice deadly serious.

"I'm not; I haven't, not in awhile." Loki says, glancing down at his hands again, skin pale and normal and looking almost human next to Tony's tanned, weathered hands.

He can practically hear the bitter, twisting smile that is probably tugging at the human's lips and refuses to glance up; he doesn't want to see that, he can't stand to see that. "You've left those scars there for a reason; they've been there since I've known you. I don't like that Loki."

"I don't like it when you drink." The trickster replies, finally glancing back up at Tony, shaking his overgrown hair out of his eyes and offering up his own twisted grin "How about you stop doing that?" He's not being serious, of course he isn't, or at least he doesn't want Tony to think he's being serious, he's tired of being serious. But he's getting pretty tired of joking and lying and tricking too, he's getting pretty tired of everything at this point.

Everything except those eyes gazing at him like he is some precious treasure that most be worshipped and lavished with attention.

He'll never get tired of that.

Tony smiles again, a slighter smile, less bitter and more real, something small and hidden about it that makes Loki feel like he's being entrusted to some great secret. The human scoots a bit closer to him and leans in, brushing their lips together with a tender familiarity.

That's another thing he'll never get tired of.

Loki lets a soft happy breath of air escape him as Tony sucks gently on his top lip, it's a quiet type of kiss, very different from most of their exchanges. Normally they are heated and long and drawn out and pushing and pulling each other to the very brink of sanity but_ this_, this is kind and nurturing, this is a gentle sort of reassurance, something to assure the other that they are right here and they aren't going anywhere.

Finally with a sigh Tony pulls away from him, eyes half lidded and face relaxed. "Ok"

It takes Loki a few long seconds to figure out what Tony's talking about then he remembers, no cutting, no drinking. "Really?" he asks, almost, _almost _hopeful, because if anyone could fix him…..if anyone could save him and make him whole…..

The human grins at him, looking a bit more like the genius playboy that he is and a bit less like the desperate madman that Loki had seen too many times. "Yeah Loki" He leans forward to kiss him again "We'll get better together."

Many hours later, after ignoring countless calls and drinking too much coffee as they watched the Malibu sunset they decided to get rid of all those goddamn tabloids. They were happily thrown into a pile in the backyard and burnt by a fire that was tinted green. Then they spent a couple more hours ignoring their responsibilities (Aka Fury and Pepper) in favor of paying attention to each other. And at around 1 in the morning there was a pop that made all of Malibu rub at their ears because at that moment Tony Stark's tremendously huge stock of alcohol had disappeared, most likely shoved into some unused dimension. A half second later the two men were sitting cross legged on Tony's bed, staring down at Loki's bare arms as the god muttered in some fluid, musical language. Inch by inch the skin started to rework itself, the scars getting smaller and smaller until they vanished and both arms were unsullied.

"There now that wasn't so hard was it?" Tony asked grinning, he's had too much coffee but so has Loki and he knows that his smile is just as manic.

"Shut up darling" He laughs, leaning towards the human to kiss him again and he wonders if this is what honeymoons are like, this odd, wonderful bliss. He considers asking Tony but the human looks so happy and perfect and _right _that Loki just decides to kiss him again.

He's pretty sure it's his favorite decision that he's ever made.

* * *

><p>Ahhh wow I'm done. And ok this was supposed to be a funny chapter, i don't even know what happened good lord. But anyways thank you all so much for the support throughout this story! I'll definitely be writing some more for this pairing once I finish up my other two stories. Please review and let me know if you liked it!<p>

Also, if anyone has any requests for oneshots or songfics for whatever pairing you like I'd be glad to do it!


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